Colorado State in unfamiliar territory with Moby streak alive

CSU hosts SDSU in first nationally ranked matchup in Moby history

By Sean Star Sports Writer

Posted:
02/12/2013 10:06:22 PM MST

Colorado State senior guard Wes Eikmeier and the Rams will welcome back San Diego State guard Chase Tapley and the Aztecs on Wednesday night, the first-ever Moby Arena matchup feature two nationally ranked teams.
(Steve Stoner)

FORT COLLINS -- Being nationally ranked for the first time in 59 years isn't so much of a straightforward situation for the Colorado State men's basketball team.

On one hand, the Rams (19-4, 6-2 Mountain West) are proud of the recognition, a reflection of all hard work put into what is on pace to be one of, if not the best, seasons in program history.

"It was definitely exciting just to get some recognition and attention," said senior guard Dorian Green after Tuesday's practice in preparation of tonight's MW tilt with San Diego State. "Older guys, especially the senior group, this is why we came here: To help put this program on the map and to build a program and be a key part in that."

On the other had, the Rams know that being ranked 24th in the country means nothing if they don't back up that standing throughout the second half of conference play. After all, they've never won the MW regular-season title -- and they've never been in better position to do so.

"At the end of the day, we're still in the moment," Green added. "We still have a lot of basketball left to play. Things could definitely change, so we've just got to continue to do what we do, just do it a little better."

Tonight (8:15 p.m, CBS Sports) will mark the program's first game as nationally ranked team since 1954, and with the Aztecs coming in a No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches poll, the MW showdown will mark the first-ever matchup at Moby Arena between two nationally ranked teams.

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That's a lot of firsts, but it's not necessarily new territory for coach Larry Eustachy, who had his Iowa State Cyclones ranked in the top 10 of the final AP poll in both 2000 and 2001. The 22-year head coach said the Rams' ranking wasn't discussed among players and coaches this week, per their season-long motto to stay on an even keel.

How they react and play going forward with all the added attention is something else, though. Even Eustachy himself admitted he didn't handle success very well back at the turn of the century.

"We've got to have the maturity to handle slaps on the back and those types of things, because I couldn't do it at 47," said Eustachy, who notoriously lost his job at Iowa State in 2003 after photos surfaced of him drinking with college-aged kids. "So it's human nature for a coach to be concerned that you get caught up in it a little bit."

Maturity is one thing CSU certainly possesses. With an all-senior starting lineup, the Rams are the third-most veteran team in the country with 2.54 years of average experience per player. That, Eustachy said, goes a long way preventing anything negative happening from the national ranking.

"Five freshman, you know, you'd be really worried," he said. "I'm really not concerned about them handling it, because they are much older than most teams."

As foreign as the No. 24 may look in front of a Colorado State basketball team, the players aren't entirely new to it, though, as transfers Colton Iverson and Daniel Bejarano both came from programs familiar with the national polls.

Bejarano played sparingly for Arizona during the 2010-11 season when the Wildcats made a run to the Elite Eight, defeating a pair of higher-seeded teams along the way. Staying focused on the task at hand, he said, is the most important thing when dealing with all the attention.

"It was amazing. You had media in your ear every single day. People were hitting you up on social media every single day. The biggest thing is your mindset," the sophomore guard said. "We just kept playing, that was the biggest thing. So I tell some of the guys here just keep playing. You guys can cheer and be happy about he rankings, but at the same time, we still have games to play."

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